The instant invention relates to safety equipment and more particulary to a safety hook construction of the type used for securing safety belts, safety harnesses, etc., to safety lines and the like.
Safety belts and harnesses have heretofore been widely used in a variety of applications for securing wearers thereof to safety lines and the like, particularly for protecting the wearers from serious accidental falls. One of the most common applications for safety belts and harnesses is in the construction industry where construction workers are frequently required to work under hazardous conditions at high elevations. Safety belts and harnesses have frequently been worn by construction workers in situations of this type to prevent serious injury or death resulting from accidental falls from elevated areas. In this regard, while a safety belt attached to a safety line will not actually prevent a fall, it will normally limit the extent of the fall to only a few feet so that the amount of injury suffered by the worker will be minimized. For this reason, the use of safety belts has become almost mandatory for workers who are working in hazardous elevated areas.
Since the life of a person wearing a safety belt or harness may depend on the ability of the belt or harness and of a safety line to which it is attached to stop a fall, it is apparent that the safety hook which interconnects the safety belt or harness to the safety line must be of an effective, durable, and safe construction which does not permit the inadvertent detachment thereof from a safety line. In addition, however, it is important that the safety hook be capable of easy operation by the worker in order to assure that the interconnection thereof to a safety line is not neglected for reasons of convenience.
The instant invention provides a novel and effective safety hook construction which is not prone to inadvertent detachment from a safety line but which is nevertheless simple and convenient to operate. The safety hook construction of the instant invention comprises a hook body having a U-shaped or hook portion which defines a first end of the body and a shank portion which extends from one leg of the U-shaped portion and has an offset portion cooperating with the other leg to define the mouth or open portion of the hook. A closure member is pivotally mounted on the body and normally biased to a closed position wherein the mouth is obstructed, said closure member being inwardly pivotable to an open position wherein the mouth is at least partially unobstructed. The safety hook also includes a latch which is pivotally mounted on the closure member and normally biased to a locked position wherein it engages a locking shoulder on the body along the edge thereof opposite from the mouth to prevent the closure member from being pivoted inwardly to the open position thereof. The latch is, however, movable to an unlocked position wherein it is disengaged from the locking shoulder so that the closure member can be pivoted inwardly to the open position thereof when desired. The closure member is of hollow construction comprising an end wall which extends across the mouth when the closure member is in the closed position thereof, and a pair of spaced side walls extending therefrom over opposite sides of the shank portion. The closure member is pivotally mounted on the shank portion, and the latch is pivotally mounted on the closure member between the side walls thereof outwardly of the edge of the body opposite from the mouth. The latch is positioned on the closure member so that it normally engages the locking shoulder to prevent the closure member from moving to its open position, but so that it is disengageable from the locking shoulder by proper manipulation of the latch. Specifically, the closure member can be moved to the open position thereof by first depressing the latch to release same and thereafter moving the latch to impart opening pivotal movement to the closure member. Therefore, the safety hook can be operated by grasping it in one hand so that the end portion of the body opposite from the hook end is generally in the palm of the hand and so that the thumb is positioned on the latch. The hook can easily be moved to an open position thereof by manipulating the latch with the thumb to first disengage it and then to pivot the closure member. Accordingly, the safety hook is operable with a simple two-step procedure which can be carried out with one hand and without having to place one's fingers adjacent the mouth portion of the hook, which can be dangerous. However, despite the simplicity of the operation of the safety hook, the two-step operation outlined above must be carefully followed in order to disengage the safety hook from a safety line. Therefore, the chances of inadvertently disengaging the safety hook are extremely remote, so that the effectiveness of the safety hook can be relied upon.
Safety hooks representing the closest prior art to the instant invention of which the applicant is aware are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 705,526 to Gray; Freysinger U.S. Pat. No. 1,879,168; Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 1,949,608; Duffy U.S. Pat. No. 1,964,428; and Tamada et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,092. While these references disclose a variety of safety hook constructions, most of which include some means for reducing the tendency for the inadvertent opening thereof, they do not teach a safety hook construction which reduces the chances of inadvertent opening to the extent achieved by the instant invention. They also do not teach a safety hook construction which is as effective and simple to operate as the safety hook construction of the instant invention, and further the specific structural features of the safety hook construction of the instant invention are clearly not suggested by these references. Accordingly, they are believed to be of nothing more than general interest.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.